Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Plan of Action
• Method 2 of 3: Dealing with addiction
• Method 3 of 3: How to Recover Your Life
• Tips
• Warnings

With an increase in the number of news channels and sources, news dependence is becoming an increasingly common problem. Regularly following the news allows you to feel connected with the world, but because of this, a person begins to devote less time to his own life. To make matters worse, news coverage does not always cover events objectively: the news is presented in a way that attracts more viewers and advertisers' money, which reinforces a dangerous mindset. In this article, you will find practical tips to help you identify the cause of addiction and restore your life.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Plan of Action

1. 1 Ask friends and family for help. If you feel like you can't handle it on your own, ask friends or family to help you fight your addiction.If someone is watching you and helping you to achieve your goal, the chances of success will be higher, especially if your addiction affects loved ones or interferes with your relationship.
   • Describe to people the telltale signs that you are watching too much news on TV: agitation, paranoia, not talking on the phone, panic, anxiety.
   • Train yourself to report back to friends or family. Don't wait for them to ask how you are doing. You can say this: "I want to report to you on how I deal with overcoming my addiction to the news." This will make it easier for people to ask you questions.
2. 2 Set aside a certain amount of time to watch the news. Set the maximum amount of time you can devote to news so that it doesn't interfere with your other business. Thirty minutes a day should be sufficient. More often than not, news stories begin to repeat themselves after half an hour.
   • Consider all news sources. Schedule time to read, watch and listen to the news. Setting limits and keeping track of how much time you spend in your calendar or planner will make it easier for you to reach your goal.
   • Consider the news on the Internet. To get rid of the addiction, limit your reading of the news on the Internet and do it only at the set time. Do not click on the news links if that time has not yet arrived.
3. 3 Provide financial liability for deviating from your rules. If you spent more time on the news than you intended, put money in the bank for it. This money can be given to a friend or relative, or donated to a non-profit organization that helps people with addictions.
   • People often agree to pay fines in the same way if they try to wean themselves from using foul language. In your case, instead of unwanted words, you will need to monitor how much time you spend on news. Decide how much money you put into the bank for each violation. You can also ask someone to put money in the bank if you manage to get through the whole day without news. All money can be spent on a good cause.
4. 4 Unsubscribe from active news accounts on social media. If something really important happens, you will learn about it from any other sources of information on any device.
   • Discard resources that are not your priority. Limit yourself to 1-2 sources.
   • Follow the news as little as possible, unless you are at the epicenter of a problem that requires constant fresh information.
5. 5 Use apps that restrict news viewing. There are applications that notify the user when the viewing limit has been reached. In addition, you can block sites that distract you from your goal using special programs.
   • It is most effective to allow yourself to go to different sites and then decide which ones you want to block. Take the time to figure out which sites you visit regularly and choose just three of them.
6. 6 Start a new hobby or passion. If you free up the time you spent watching the news, you will have something to do. If you spend a lot of time on news, in part because you have too much free time, try doing something new. Scientists have found that people who have hobbies are healthier and less prone to depression.
   • For example, you might enroll in a course, take on a project that has been postponed for many years, or try to meet more often with friends or family.
7. 7 Try to abruptly withdraw from the news. This technique works for many people. Refraining from watching the news can be difficult because news is everywhere: on the Internet, on television, on the radio. Try to distract yourself from news sources and pay more attention to your work or other occupation.
   • A person can develop an addiction to a wide variety of things.Avoiding watching the news is one way to combat addiction, but it doesn't always lead to success. For example, in the course of research it was found that 22% of people who quit smoking at the same time, get rid of the habit forever. Smoking is different from watching the news, but the trends may be similar.

Method 2 of 3: Dealing with addiction

1. 1 Assess the extent of the problem. Understanding how serious the problem has become will allow you to come up with a plan for self-help and work with a therapist. Ask yourself a few questions and write down the answers. When the list is ready, think about how much your behavior is limiting you. Introspection is the process of directly assessing internal processes. When you understand how and why and react in one way or another, you can resolve many of your inner problems. The degree of discomfort will determine how actively you are willing to fight the addiction. Due to your addiction to news, you should ask yourself the following questions:
   • Has your news addiction affected your relationships with people? Ask loved ones to comment on this situation, as you may not be fully aware of how your actions affect others. Answering this question will help you understand if your addiction is harming someone other than you.
   • Does the morning news affect how you drive and feel throughout the day? Does the evening news determine how well you sleep at night? If the news affects your mood throughout the day and your sleep, it means your addiction is driving you.
   • Do you interrupt others to hear the news while shopping, dining with someone, or hanging out with other people? If you’re willing to offend people just to hear the latest news, that means that the news is more important to you than other people.
   • Do you think 24/7 news channels are more important than other channels? Are you willing to give up other things in life just for the sake of this habit? If so, your position limits your perception of the world and your options.
   • Do you feel deprived of something if you do not know what is happening in the world? Do you have a fear of missing something? In recent studies, it has been found that people who are afraid of missing something feel detached from the world and are not satisfied with their lives.
   • Are you the first person to be the first to know the latest news? The constant need to be aware of all the events puts you under stress and can influence your behavior.
2. 2 Rate your mood after watching the news. Your feelings are the surest indicator that you are letting addiction rule your life. If you are stressed and anxious or think the world is spiraling out of control, it means that you are overly dependent on the news. If you are positive, but suddenly lose your temper after hearing the news, it means that you are addicted.
   • Have you noticed that from an optimistic person you have turned into a pessimist who does not know how to have fun and sees only danger, panic, fears and a terrible future everywhere? An excess of news can affect a person like that.
   • Are you able to behave rationally in stressful situations? Do you snap at family members and get nervous if someone says things aren't as bad as you imagine?
   • Have you become paranoid and anxious in public? The constant exposure to a lot of news can turn even the most level-headed person into paranoid or worry that something terrible is about to happen.
3. 3 Identify the root causes of addiction. Effective change is impossible without identifying the emotional causes of behavior. Are you worried about anxiety, stress, depression? If so, it may mean that you are distracting yourself with the news.Unfortunately, this behavior can do more harm than good. Most news stories show tragedies and crises, which makes the person feel desperate.
   • Deal with anxiety, stress, and depression in ways that are safe for your health, such as relaxation exercises, exercise, or yoga.
   • When a person is at rest, muscles relax, heart rate slows down, breathing becomes slower and deeper. To deal with your emotions, try to spend time relaxing rather than watching the news. If you see a news story that upset you, try to calm yourself down with relaxation techniques.
4. 4 Have a plan to develop your emotional management skills. If you try to solve problems, you will have everything you need to change. When you acknowledge that you have an addiction, you can set clear goals for yourself, start working on them, and adjust the process as needed. It's also important to track your progress.
   • Set clear goals for yourself. One goal might be to schedule and record how much time you spend on the news. Self-control will allow you to make a difference.
   • Pick a start date and get started. Don't put off the inevitable. Get started as soon as possible.
   • Celebrate your accomplishments and reward yourself. If you manage to reach your goals for the day, week, or month, celebrate your success. Go to a movie, a sports event, or plant a tree for someone you admire. Positive motivation will help you stay on track.
   • If some approach doesn't work, then abandon it. Find an alternative and include it in your plan. Don't think of it as a failure - instead, try to take it as an adjustment to your plan.
   • New habits will develop gradually and become natural to you. After that, you can try to allow yourself to deviate from the plan a little - you will still be able to maintain positive results.
5. 5 Seek help from a specialist. If you find it difficult to cope with your addiction to news, see an addiction therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist, or seek advice from friends or family.
   • Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective methods for dealing with addictions, depression and anxiety disorders.
   • Group therapy combined with a desire to solve a problem can also be effective. There are groups for news addicts, but you can also attend group meetings that focus on developing social and emotional management skills.

Method 3 of 3: How to Recover Your Life

1. 1 Develop your support group. Relationships need to be nourished to keep them going. Social support is essential for physical and mental health. If you've been addicted to news for a while, your relationships with people are likely to deteriorate. Initiate communication to build or repair relationships. Until the changes take root in your life, you will need the support of others.
   • Do something online or in real life to broaden your horizons and be limited only to news. For example, start taking musical lessons, volunteering with animals or children. Thanks to this, you will feel that there is more than news in life.
   • Common interests bring people together. Start connecting with people who are doing what interests you. Join a book club or other events where you can meet new people.
2. 2 Be an example to others. If you meet someone who seems to be addicted to news, don't talk to him about the news. Start conversations on other, more positive topics.If you find it difficult or unpleasant to continue the conversation, apologize and leave.
   • Share your experience of overcoming addiction, but do not pressure or try to control the person. Invite the person to try the methods that helped you overcome addiction.
   • Helping others will give you a sense of accomplishment. You will be glad you did a good job, which is much more enjoyable than watching the news.
   • The ability to overcome and control your addiction to news will boost your self-esteem.
3. 3 Try to see the big picture. It is important to perceive all incoming information in context. In many news stories, information is reduced to a specific creepy incident. Plots are usually limited in time, so journalists try to squeeze as many death and destruction as possible into one story. If you allow yourself to perceive everything as it is presented, your idea of ​​reality will be distorted.
   • Stop and think. You will understand that the likelihood of a repetition of the same disaster is negligible. Influenza stories are a good example of hype. A certain number of people may die from the flu, but in a country of 350 million people, 50 deaths from the flu is a small number. You should not think that an epidemic has come if you do not have reliable evidence of this.
   • If the news makes you feel like things are getting worse and worse, stop and ask yourself a couple of questions. Is it really that bad? Why do I think so? Are these facts reliable? If you can question what the news is about, you will break the cycle of addiction.
4. 4 See something less serious. Switch to movies and TV shows that have no room for news or disasters. For example, you can watch programs about repairs or biographies of historical figures. See also humorous films and programs. This will offset the impact of negative news and help you recover.
   • Ask yourself from time to time if you have laughed enough in a week or a month. If you can't remember the last time you did it, find something that makes you laugh. Call a friend who can always make you laugh, or go to your local stand-up club to support local comedians. Once you understand the benefits of regular laughter, you will make it a part of your life.
5. 5 Get ready for ups and downs. There are both joyful and difficult moments in life. Most of life takes place somewhere in between. You will be able to appreciate the joyful moments because you know how difficult it can be. If you are sad now, know that things will get better soon.

Tips

• In severe cases, it can be helpful to cut the TV and Internet cable if it suits other people who live with you.
• If you are addicted to news both online and on television, try to limit yourself to newspaper news.
• Anyone who overcomes addiction can break down. If you notice your addiction is back, pull yourself together and tune in to follow the plan again. Every day is an opportunity to start over.
• Try to be like meetings for people with addictions. Even if the program is designed for people who are trying to overcome alcohol addiction, they will provide you with support and information.

Warnings

• Frequent viewing of the news negatively affects the perception of the world. Watch carefully how much time you devote to this.
• Don't just take everything at its word. There are TV channels and Internet resources that deliberately distort information. Be skeptical about everything you read, watch, and listen to.
• Isolation from real life can cause depression and serious mental illness. If you think you might harm yourself or others, call a relative, close friend, or emergency services.
• Scientists have found that watching a large number of news releases related to coverage of traumatic events can provoke severe stress. Get help as soon as possible if you think you were hurt by what you saw on the news.